: I am looking ahead to building the paddles. It is something I have wanted to
: try for many years. Like so many people my material choices are very
: limited without having it shipped in.

You should have local sources for southern pine and cypress. As well, most lumberyards deal in cedar for decks and siding, and SPF (an abbreviation for Spruce, Pine or Fir). SPF lumber is for construction and should have a certain minimum strength. Nobody really cares what the species of the tree is, just as long as the 2x4s are strong enough to serve, and the 1x2's will accept a nail.

: The two woods we have available that appear to be most suitable are Western
: Red Cedar. Local lumber yard keeps siding (3/4 thick, one rough face) and
: to my surprise 2x4's planned on 4 sides. I have some larger old WRC in my
: barn I am saving for a boat. Lots of Southern Yellow pine of course.

If you have a source of red cedar, you don't need to look any further. If the thicknes of 3/4 inch siding is not what you would like, simply glue two boards together (planed side to planed side) to get something thicker. You can shave off the roughness of the outsides of your new board as you make your paddle.

Or, rip a piece about 2 inches wide from one of those cedar boards then flip it on edge and saw off the rough side as you rip that into a 2 x 5/8 inch board. Get a 1x2 of maple, walnut, hickory or some other nice hardwood, rip that into 1/4 x 2 inch strips and glue one on each side of your cedar strip and you will have a nice laminated paddle shaft blank, with a lightweight center and tough hardwood outsides. Round it off and add the blades you wish.

If you have cedar 2x4s available, buy a good quality one (it doesn't have to be perfect, but it should be inexpensive) and take a whack at carving it into a Greenland paddle. The first one you do probably will not be perfect, so don't waste good wood learning the process. The second one will be much better, and you can keep the first paddle as a spare, or a loaner for friends to (ab)use.

: The other wood is what they commonly call Spruce, but it isn't really spruce.
: I think the proper trade name is White Wood. White cedar, fir, white pine,
: maybe hemlock? I can't find exactly what all that name covers.

If they call it spruce then it should be spruce--but local customs are common. Probably the famous SPF. Probably not cedar or hemlock.

: What we get
: is typically lighter weight than SYP and usually has lots of small knots.
: Sometimes I can find an almost clear board that can be cut down to smaller
: pieces and used in glue ups.

Sounds like it might actually be a variety of spruce. Sitka spruce is a light wood which is very strong for its weight and in demand for airplane use. (there is even a http://www.aircraftspruce.com/. They have supplied wood for several kayak builders. High quality certifed wood. Not cheap! They have a store in Peachtree GA)

: I was looking at furring strips today at the BORG. 1x2's or 1x3's that were
: relatively clear. If suitable three of these glued together could make a
: good blank for a shaft.

Bluntly speaking--screw this idea. If the wood was any good it would not be sold as a furring strip. They are the cheapest garbage in the lumberyard and sold essentially as spacers. You may save pennies, but you'll waste hours of your time working with garbage. If you want a nice 1x2 look for the "appearance grade" woods. You can find clear, or nearly clear 1x3s for a reasonable price. Or, buy a 1x6 or wider board which has knots in it, but has a clear section 2 to 3 inches wide. Sight along the length of the board in the store, and buy one which will work for you. Then rip cut that clear section for your paddle shaft, and cross cut the remainder of the board, cutting between any knots, for shorter clear pieces to use for the paddle blades.

The Southern Yellow Pine sold at the Home Depot near me in Northern Illinois is generally available as 2x12s. while these are obviously for construction use, I have been impressed with the large clear areas on some of the 12- and 14-foot-long boards I've seen. A person could easily rip several clear 2x3s or 2x4s from each of these. That would yield a lot of paddle shafts.

If you shy away from using Southern Yellow Pine due to its weight, consider hollowing out the paddle shaft. You can use a router to cut a cove two pieces of wood, glue them so the coves match up, then round off the outside, leaving a hollow tube. If you check the archives for "Birds mouth loom" you can find details on how to cut notches on the edges of wood strips so that they can be glued up to create a hollow shaft.

: For a standard double paddle I am think the white wood for shafts and then
: using some WRC and white wood glue up for the blades. Am I off base? Any
: better suggestions? Anything but native hardwood and SYP just isn't common
: around here.

I find two schools of thought on blades. One group says use thin hardwoods for the strength. Another says use thin cedar as it flexes nicely. A compromise group seem to like making glue-ups from strips of hard and softwoods, for color, strength, and lightweight. Any and all of these ideas seem to work, but you'll get many people commenting on what worked best for them. Why not make a couple of paddles, or even three or four. Keep the ones you like and give nice gifts of the ones that are just a bit less than what you wanted. Start now and you could have some for Xmas giving.

I wouldn't use white wood glue on a paddle. I have plenty of epoxy around and the job is going to be small enough that I'll use very little, so no smell. I can keep the pieces in the house where they'll stay warm and cure fast. Gorilla glue would harden and cure faster than epoxy, and there are several other glues around which are stronger than whie glue and are more water resistant.

: I have access to several harder woods suitable for tips. Hickory, oak, etc.
: Those are easy to come by. And of course walnut, cherry and some woods
: that could be added for decoration.

Use the hardwoods on the edges as well as the tips. Edges get a lot of abuse, too.

Good luck with your paddle making. Your first attempts will probably work fine, but you'll be unhappy with the weight. So you'll try some technique to make the next ones lighter. Then you'll want to play with different blade designs, different feathering angles. After that you are totally dedicated to the quest of making the perfect paddle. For some people this is an addiction all its own. You are probably doomed already.

PGJ